You can write your last will yourself with one of our free Word templates in this post. We’ll cover what you want to include and how to do it and also what the procedure is. A last will and testament is an important thing to take care of for your family and loved ones.

Can I just write a last will myself?

Yes, you can write a last will yourself. Especially if your will is not that complicated, then you shouldn’t have that much trouble doing so. Further down the page you’ll find several free last will and testament templates that you can use as a starting point to write your last will.

You should definitely think about at least writing a will to start with – even if you decide to do it together with an attorney at a later point in time. In that way you have a good idea of you want to include and what is important to you.

What should I include in my last will and testament?

A last will and testament is the place where a testator (also known as grantor) describes his final wishes to be executed after he/she comes to decease. It’s used to finalize life’s actions and describe what happens to everything that the deceased leaves behind.

A person doesn’t only leave physical possessions, but also people and immaterial things like dreams, hopes and wishes. Therefore you’ll find the following things (mostly) in a will:

• who gets what of your possessions
• who takes custody of your child(ren) and/or pets
  people sometimes forget to take care of their pets in their last will, but they’re very important!
• who doesn’t get anything
• what kind of arrangements you’d like, such as funeral arrangements, notifications, donations to charity etc

Can I exclude people from my will?

Your will is entirely up to you in most jurisdictions. Of course there are certain things that you can’t include, because they can’t be executed, but excluding people is one of things that you CAN include.

If you wish to exclude people from your will it can be necessary to explicitly mention that you want them to NOT get any piece of your estate. This can be necessary according to some state (or country) laws. This is also useful in case your estate is fluid and it’s difficult to describe it accurately and completely. By mentioning that a certain person will not get anything at all it removes all doubt and dispute later on.

Another way of looking at this question is from a moral standpoint. Can you really exclude your children from your last will and testament? Isn’t that harsh or ridiculous? That’s a question that any person has to answer for him/herself. This is not the place to do so.

Can I still amend my will or is it final?

Once your will has been made official by a notary it is valid. That means that this is the way the will be executed unless it has been amended.

You can not just write stuff on your copy of the will to indicate changes though. A will is made official by a notary in the presence of witnesses. Therefore you can’t just make changes to it by writing something on it in your own home. That’s simply not how it works.

If you want to make changes to a will you either have to redo the entire will and then go to the notary again with witnesses, OR you add a codicil to it. A codicil is like an addendum and again – this has to be properly witnessed and notarized.

If you just follow the official process properly – you CAN amend your will.

What happens if I don’t have a will?

If you don’t have a will and you come to pass, then this is called ‘to die intestate‘. This is not an uncommon thing as most people don’t start thinking about a will until they’re either old and/or sick or until their estate becomes sizeable.

If a person dies without an official last will, then the local laws determine what happens to the estate of the deceased. This means that the estate is divided up according to certain standard percentages for the spouse / children / grandchildren etc. In some countries even other related family members can claim a piece of the estate.

Do I need a notary to make a will official?

Yes, in most cases you will need a notary to make your will official. See this short brief on the AARP site.

However the above is only valid for the US and it doesn’t mean that this statement is valid for the jurisdiction that YOU live in. It will be in most jurisdictions though.

There are several reasons why you need a notary to make your will official. Notaries play the role of verifying the following:

• the identity of the persons signing;
  Otherwise anyone could easily forge a will and takeover the deceased’s estate!
• their authority to sign;
  Is the testator authorized to sign? Children under 18 for example will not be able to draft a will.
• their legal capacity;
  Is the testator of sound mind or are there other reasons why he/she can’t sign the will?
• their understanding of the document.
  A will can be quite complex and contain many different clauses. Especially if the testator has a large estate, then there are many things to take care of.

Free Will Templates

Last Will Templates

Testament Templates

A promissory note is simply a “note with a promise” i.e. a document that says that one party promises another party a certain amount of money at a certain point in time. It’s like an IOU (I owe you), but more formal and used to collect cash in return for future receivables.

Below we’ve gather some of the best promissory note templates for Microsoft Word to start with.

Difference between IOU and promissory note

An IOU – pronounced and known as “I owe you” is an informal document that says that one person owes another person money. It doesn’t (necessarily) specify when that money will be paid back or which other terms (interest rate etc) apply. It’s also not negiotiable, which means you can’t just transfer it to another party.

A promissory note is a negotiable document and it’s common for a promissory note to change hands after it’s been issued. It’s governed by a contract and contains the terms of repayment.

So with a promissory note you’ll know when certain amounts of the total are repaid and what happens if the debtor fails to make payment.

What is in a promissory note?

A promissory note contains all the things relevant to the debt, which are:

• the amount that’s being owed
• the interest rate
• the maturity date: when the amount needs to be paid back
• date of issuance: when the note was issued
• place of issuance: where the note was issued
• issuer’s signature: the signature of debtor

As you see above, the party that is owed the money is NOT on the note. Since promissory notes can be traded off, the note is owed by whoever holds it. It is returned to the issuer once the debt has been paid back in full.

Examples in practice

Although the term promissory note may be unfamiliar to you, it’s still very likely that you know of some being used in practice.

Mortages

You may think that mortgages represent the obligation to repay the money that homeowners owe for their home. But in reality they ALSO sign a promissory note. This note then represents the promise to repay the home loan and stipulates the terms of repayment. The terms are usually the interest rate, late fees and the total amount.

This is probably the most common use case for a promissory note in “regular” peoples’ lives.

Student loans

A student loan is usually the first situation where someone will sign a promissory note. When they lend the money from a private entity, then students will sign a new note for each loan they take out.

When students take federal loans, it could that there’s only one “master” promissory note that stipulates the general terms. All loaned amounts will then fall under that master note that the student signed.

Real instate investing

Another example where you would use promissory notes is in real estate investing. In the below video you’ll see how to use promissory notes in real estate investing.

Corporate Uses

Promissory notes are used a lot in the corporate world for short-term financing. They are commonly used for access to cash in return for payback via future receivables.

A common scenario would be where a company needs quick access to cash for purchases, while the customers that they deliver(ed) too have not yet paid there invoices. Since a supply chain can take quite a long time to complete, this is not a rare scenario. Goods may still be in transit to the customers or customers may have negotiated longer payment terms (more and more common with large companies). In those cases accounts receivables will be used to cover the note.

Another scenario, which is more high-risk, is where the company has already tried to get corporate loans or issue bonds – and failed. In these cases the risk for the lender is obviously higher and the terms will therefore also need to be more favorable for the lender (higher interest rate). Typically these kinds of notes will be saleable and traded off as medium to high-risk financial instruments.

Promissory Note Templates

Notarized Promissory Note Templates

Secured Promissory Note Templates

A bill of sale is a legal document that is used to transfer ownership of a property from one person (or entity) to another. Below you’ll find some Microsoft Word bill of sale templates that you can download for free. This will help you to draft up a bill of sale quickly and easily.

What does a bill of sale do?

A bill of sale does nothing more than prove the transfer of ownership of a property. This can be a good of any kind and it can be transferred between persons (which is the most usual case) or between other entities. A bill of sale can be between a company and a person of course – when you buy an item in a store for example. Or there can be a bill of sale between two organizations.

A bill of sale is a legal document and is used to establish proof that a certain property was indeed transferred from one owner to another. This helps establish future and past ownership and resolve ownership disputes. It also helps in case of warranty claims or other common uses of the bill of sale.

How do I write a bill of sale?

If you decide to write a bill of sale from scratch (rather than just download one of the free templates below), then it’s important to think about what type of bill of sale you have and what kind of information need to be there.

There are essentially two categories of bill of sale:

1. Absolute: an absolute bill of sale is simply a statement that a certain property was sold. There are no conditional clauses and this is the most common type of bill of sale.
2. Conditional: a conditional bill of sale includes one or more conditions on which the sale depends. Usually these conditions pertain to financing/payment/security. An example would be where you would include the ownership of a piece of property in case payment for something else is not made.

Generic bills of sale typically include the following items:

• Date of purchase
• Name and address of seller and buyer
• Signatures of seller and buyer
• Description of the property being transferred
• Amount paid for the transfer of ownership
• A guarantee that the item in question is free from all claims
• Other warranties and claims
• In case of notarized bills of sale: Notary seal and signature

For vehicle bills of sale you will also see the following:

• VIN number or other identification number of the vehicle
• The make (brand), model and year of the vehicle
• The mileage
• A short description of the vehicle – this usually includes color and special characteristics (interior / special addons etc)
• For boats: hull number

Is a handwritten bill of sale legal?

Yes, a handwritten bill of sale is legal (see Pandadoc). It would actually be very strange if that wasn’t the case – since typewriters and computers were not around when lots of laws were drawn up!

That doesn’t mean you should write your bill of sale by hand of course. It’s much easier to download one of the Word templates below and start from there. When you have an electronic bill of sale, it’s much easier and quicker to get signatures and have it checked by a notary.

Bill of Sale Templates

Notarized Bill of Sale Templates

Vehicle Bill of Sale Templates

Below are some templates that can be used to transfer the ownership of vehicles, such as cars, trailers, motorcycles and boats. Usually you’ll find data like the VIN number and other relevant vehicle information. This is data that you won’t usually find on other bill of sale templates.

Before you move in with someone (or have someone move in with you) as a roommate, you should draw up a roommate agreement. Part of it is just proper manners, but it also helps with setting expectations and resolving conflicts.

A roommate agreement is different from a subletting agreement in the sense that you’ll need a sublease agreement when you are subletting your place.

Why do I need a roommate agreement?

You need a roommate agreement for a number of purposes. First it helps you discuss all the intricacies of living together before you actually do so. By doing this you’ll get a feel for a lot of things that you wouldn’t think about otherwise. Second – one it’s signed – it will help you resolve conflicts. And conflicts surely always arise.

Most conflicts between roommates are about:

• Noise
• (not) Cleaning
• Money (bill paying / deposits)
• Difference in habits: sleeping schedules / eating habits / tidiness
• Personality differences: usually this is about perceived lack of respect or different lifestyles
• Using the other person’s stuff or even stealing

A roommate agreement can help you prevent a lot of these conflicts and make sure you have a common ground once you encounter problems. You can use it do fall back on once a conflict arises and it needs to be addressed.

What should be in a good roommate agreement?

A good roommate agreement contains all the items that are needed to divide the costs of living and lay down the law for the way you want to live together.

The most common items are:

1. Rent: what is the amount each roommate will pay; It doesn’t have to be 50/50 if one has more room than the other of course.
2. Utilities: how much does each roommate contribute;
3. Other costs: do you share internet? A phone? Trash pick-up? What if the dishwasher breaks?
4. Term: how long will you be living together and what are the rules about moving out?
5. Deposit: does a new roommate contribute and if so – how much?
6. Living arrangements:
   1. Schedules for bathroom / nighttime / visitors etc
   2. Rules about music / parties / visitors
   3. Kitchen use (especially about the fridge!)
   4. Cleaning
   5. Temperature and A/C
7. Conflict resolution: write down some basic rules on how you’re going to talk about conflicts when they arise. This will be a good start and will help you get along pro-actively. You don’t want to discover your roommate is impossible to talk with once the first conflict arises!

All the templates below will be good starting points. We recommend you pick one with your roommate and take it from there.

Do I have rights without a roommate agreement?

You always have rights even without a roommate agreement, but not the same as with one. Depending on where you live (in which jurisdiction) you can usually not just be locked out of your room without notice. Even if you don’t have a roommate contract.

Nonetheless, a roommate agreement is a legally binding document. It doesn’t mean that all the clauses in it are enforceable in court or in practice. But it does mean that some of them are.

If you are the main tenant.

Without a roommate agreement you – as the main tenant – are most likely on the hook for:

• the full rent
• cost of utilities
• the deposit
• other incurred costs

With a roommate agreement you’re still going to have to pay these to the landlord, but you’ll have a legally binding document to help you recoup the agreed-upon amounts from your roommate. Without such an agreement it will be a lot more difficult.

If you are NOT the main tenant.

Without a roommate agreement you run the risk of losing your room without notice. Fighting an eviction will be a lot harder than with a contract. During the process of being on the street you’ll need documents to prove that you indeed had a room and a contract will be one of those.

It is also important that you pay your costs electronically as much as possible (rather than in cash) as that will leave a trail that you can use in legal processes. If you can show that you transferred your share of the rent each month, it will be a lot easier to convince a judge that it’s your room.

Roommate Agreement Forms

Roommate Agreement Templates

Roommate Contract Templates

Before you give the keys of your apartment to someone else for subleasing, draw up a sublease agreement! Use one of the sublease agreement templates in this post and make sure you include all the details that are required by law and to make your life easy.

When can I sublease my apartment?

You can sublease your apartment if your local laws and your lease agreement allow you to sublease your place.

The local laws can be very different on this. While you can sublet by default in Nevada and Utah for example, you need to get the landlord’s permission in Missouri or Texas. So it really varies from State to State. Obviously it will be different in other countries than the USA and in the Netherlands you can NEVER sublet your apartment for example.

Your specific sublease agreement may also contain clauses that prevent you from subletting your place. Whether those clauses are conflicting with the law is another thing altogether. It could be that the clauses are not enforceable or that your landlord doesn’t mind due to other reasons.

In any case we advise to always consult with your landlord first. He/she may have good reasons to not allow the sublease, but he/she could also appreciate you finding a sublessee. There could be an economic downturn that makes finding a new tenant difficult or you may have a very trustworthy friend that the landlord is happy to rent to. In those cases it can often be a win-win situation for you and the landlord.

Why should I use a sublease agreement?

You should draw up an agreement for a sublease in almost ALL situations. Even if you are going to sublease to a really good friend or family member – money comes between people in many occasions. You don’t want to risk a relationship for money and you also don’t want to risk your place to live over things you didn’t properly discuss beforehand.

A sublease contract helps you to clarify the terms between you and the subtenant, but also clarifies your continuing responsibilities with the landlord. You may find that you’re still responsible for things that you didn’t know (the state of the apartment for example) and that can change your mind on whether you want to continue with the sublease.

It also helps you plan for your return to your place after the sublease is over. Usually you’ll be subletting your place for a limited time due to temporary travel or work obligations. The contract will help you return properly and also help plan the change-back.

Who should sign a sublease agreement?

A sublease agreement should be signed by the landlord, the tenant and the subtenant. A lot of people forget that first party: the landlord. But the landlord is the most important person/organization on the contract (see this article on Tenant Resource Center).

The laws on this are not always the same though. In California for example, tenants CAN sublet a place by default. But the landlord can prevent them from doing so in the lease agreement.

There are a few simple steps to take when you’re thinking about subletting your place:

• Find out about the local laws on subleasing
• Read and review your sublease agreement
• Check with your landlord

In these cases it’s always best to involve your landlord – even when you don’t need their permission. For practical purposes (when renovations need to be done or a new key needs to be made), it’s much easier if the landlord is familiar with the subtenant so that they can deal with issues directly without intervention.

What should I write in a sublease contract?

When you’re drawing up a sublease contract or when you’re thinking of signing one, then make sure to check if everything is there that needs to be there.

The following items should at least be in a sublease contract:

• landlord details and signature: without the approval of the landlord the whole contract is pointless
• lessee and sublessee details and signatures: sometimes these will be called “principal tenant” and “subtenant”
• property address and description
• term: how long the agreement is for, but also whether it will renew or not
• rent
• utilities and other costs
• deposit(s)
• applicable laws and regulations

Make sure to use a standard contract (as the ones below) as much as possible and consult with a lawyer if you have a lot riding on this.

Consent to sublease templates

Sublease agreement templates

Sublease contract templates

If you’re evicting a tenant, then it’s good to do so properly and use one of our eviction notice templates to start with. Our downloadable templates are all for Microsoft Word.

Why use an eviction notice template?

An eviction is a stressful affair for both tenant as well as the landlord. The latter is often forgotten, but there are few landlords that don’t get stressed out over a having to do an eviction.

Even if it’s a “business” transaction to rent places to tenants, in the end you’re still dealing with people. And putting those people on the street is never easy and therefore will take a toll on most landlords.

In such a situation of high-stress it’s important to stay rational and make sure you take the right steps. A proper eviction notice is one of the steps that are important in the process and therefore we have listed some of the best eviction notice samples we could find below.

The most important reason to use one of the eviction notice templates is to make sure you cover all basis:

• what is the reason for the eviction
• when is the person being evicted
• what are the remaining and ongoing obligations for the tenant
• what is the process during the final hand-over of the rented place

These are all typical things you’ll find in our templates. This will help you to not forget important details when you start your eviction and hopefully reduce some of the stress by having a plan.

Eviction Notice Templates (Word)

Eviction Notice Letters (Word)

Eviction Notice Sample Letters (Word)

If you need to notify your tenant to vacate, then it’s best to use a notice to vacate letter. We’ve listed the best notice to vacate example letters for Microsoft Word in this article.

When should I use a notice to vacate?

After you terminated the lease of your tenant (or you mutually agreed on it), usually things will go smoothly and your tenant will go about her/his own way and vacate your property.

However, in cases where there are disputes about the end date of your agreement, or where you feel your tenant is in the wrong – it’s normal to send an notice to vacate. You can send it via registered mail, hand it over or via other ways. We recommend you to stay on top of things and hand it over yourself (or have it handed over).

A notice to vacate is also known as an “eviction notice” and you use it to indicate:

• when you expect the tenant to have vacated your property
• why you’re evicting the tenant
• what you’re expecting of the tenant:
  • continued paying of the rent
  • fixing of damages
  • handing over of keys
  • continued compliance with regulations

The templates below are a good place to start and will be adequate in most situations.

What should I prepare for as a landlord?

When it gets to the point that you need to evict a tenant, the relationship with her/him tends to have gone southways. If you then get to the point of eviction, there are many things that can happen. A disgruntled tenant can do all kinds of things to make your life hell and therefore it’s best to have a proactive approach.

Tip 1 is to stay responsive and communicative. Keep the communication going with your tenant so you know what’s going on and so your tenant also knows you’re aware of what’s going on and that you’re a reasonable human being. This will help resolve small issues more quickly and more smoothly and make it less likely that something will happen that you didn’t notice.

Tip 2 is to not make any rash decisions. The fact that you’re responding timely to your tenant’s questions doesn’t mean you have to give in to any demands or compromise. Even though that can sometimes be wise, it’s important to think things through continuously. This also goes for heated discussions – keep a calm head and don’t do anything that can get you in legal trouble.

Tip 3 is to have a good network should things escalate. A good lawyer is expensive, but so is a bad lawyer! And a network of landlords in your area can really be helpful in filtering out “bad” tenants. This also goes for real estate agents – the good ones know which tenants to avoid.

Tip 4 is to be prepared. When you start the relationship with your tenant you should try to gauge who you’re dealing with and what can happen when it gets to the point of eviction. Also in general you should have a plan for yourself to deal with evictions and keep adding to that after you did an eviction. Keep the lessons learned!

Here is a good video on how to evict a tenant as a starting resource.

Notice to Vacate Templates (Word)

Notice to Vacate Letters (Word)

Sample notices to vacate (Word)

If you want to terminate your lease you need to (typically) send a letter to your landlord (or to your tenant if you’re a landlord). We have free downloadable lease termination letters and will go over some of the important things you need to mention. The sample letters are all in Microsoft Word.

How can I terminate my lease?

If you are a tenant, then the way you can end your lease is dependent on the contract terms of your rental agreement. In most cases a simple letter will suffice, but you need to take care of a few things:

• Timely delivery of the termination letter: it doesn’t matter when you SEND the letter, but it does matter when the letter to the landlord is DELIVERED. If you need to end the lease 1 month before the new month, then the letter should not arrive 4 weeks before then new month as the landlord can hold you to another month of rent!
  This is why you’ll typically use a registered letter or you’ll hand-deliver the notice (with a witness present).
• Using the proper clauses: if you need to terminate your rent due to special circumstances, then you need to make that absolutely clear in the termination notice. Especially if the circumstances are the landlord’s fault (for example: bad maintenance, harassment etc) then you’ll typically find yourself in a battle and you need to create the proper chain of evidence and write everything down properly. If you don’t terminate due to these “breaches of contract” on paper, then you’ll be held to the regular termination clauses.
• Proper delivery of the property: you should make sure that you’re able to deliver the property back to the landlord in the agreed condition in a timely manner. If you painted it while you were living there, then it could be that you need to paint it back in the original color. Check your contract details for condition requirements and inspection date details!
  If you don’t deliver it in the right state then you may lose your deposit!

What do I do when I get a lease termination letter?

In a lot of case you’ll know upfront that your rent will be terminated. After all, most people will have a decent relationship with their landlord and he/she will have indicated this before already.

If the termination notice comes as a total surprise to you AND you don’t want to move out (or didn’t plan to). Then of course you need to make a plan. Step 1 of that plan is would be to CALL your landlord and find out more about the reasons and whether she/he is open to let you stay longer. Talking is always the first (and best) course of action. It’s also the fastest approach. You don’t want to waste precious time sending letters back and forth or create confusion by sending emails or text messages.

If you can’t agree with your landlord on the termination (or the termination date) then the next step is to go back to the contract and figure out what your rights are. This may be the time to lawyer up or at least check some websites on your rights as a tenant (in the USA hud.gov is a good place to start).

This may also be a good time to make a contingency plan. Can you get another place easily? Or can you decide to stay anyways and fight an eviction? What kind of terms are you willing to agree with your landlord if push comes to shove?

Early termination of rent

If your landlord terminates your rent early, then she/he will do this due to breach of contract or to a “force majeur”-clause. Examples of reasons are:

• You’re late on rent: the number 1 reason why landlords terminate lease agreeements
• You’re being a bad tenant: you behaved poorly in ways such as:
  • you took a roommate
  • you took a pet
  • you subletted the place
  • you’ve caused disturbances (usually noise)
  • you’ve taken poor care of the property
• The landlord is selling the property: in a booming real estate market your landlord may want to cash out
• The property is damaged due to an external event: if the building got hit by a flood or a hurricane and the landlord can’t/won’t be able to restore it

The above are all (more or less) valid reasons for a landlord to terminate your rent early. That doesn’t mean you should agree with them though! And it also doesn’t mean that you should just go along and accept them.

First of all: even if the given reasons are true, the landlord typically needs to prove that they’re true. That’s quite easy if you’re late on rent, but a lot more difficult if you’ve got a pet for example. It may be that you were just taking care of a friends pet for a week or so. A judge would find it unreasonable in most cases that you’re kicked out of your apartment for that (especially if you’re otherwise a good tenant).

Second: some of the reasons may not be valid at all! The fact that your landlord wants to sell the property doesn’t mean that he can! In lots of places the tenant’s rights supercede the right of a landlord to sell the property!

So again – in these kind of situations it’s important to stay calm, talk to your landlord, read the contract and start doing your due diligence before moving out.

Rent Termination Letter Samples

Landlord terminating lease during Covid

As we speak (2021), COVID is still ravaging the planet. Unfortunately it doesn’t only hit people, but only businesses / jobs – in short: the economy.

Many people are out of a job and not being able to pay rent. And landlords are feeling this in their wallets too of course. This is resulting in many landlords seeking to terminate leases of tenants that aren’t able (or willing) to pay.

Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way out of this. In many countries and jurisdictions, governments have put a temporary stop to evictions, but this can not last forever. The reality of the matter is that landlords ALSO need to eat. We often think of them as wealthy capitalists that are driving around in Lambos and eating steak. But that’s certainly not the case. And even for those landlords who have it good – why should they now be forced to bleed dry?

This is an ethical dilemma for which the answer is not easy. We can only advise tenants to open the discussion with their landlords as soon as they can. Avoid getting your rent terminated and then being to late to do something about it! Try to see if you can find common ground and a long-term solution that works for both of you.

Lease Termination Agreement Templates

What is a notice to vacate?

A notice to vacate is any notice (letter, whatsapp, email, text message or even a conversation) by your landlord – or their lawyer – that tells you must vacate the property by a certain date.

This usually follows AFTER a termination notice, but in some cases it is basically the same document. A notice to vacate usually screams a more formal and forcing tone than a rent termination letter. Therefore you’ll see this wording reserved for situations where there’s a bad situation between landlord and tenant.

Free Lease Termination Letters